


Chances

by SLM76



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: F/M, POV Second Person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:21:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27866781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SLM76/pseuds/SLM76
Summary: When youre summoned to Washington for a briefing, you have a faint hope that you might see her, but you know its unrealistic.
Relationships: Samantha "Sam" Carter/Jack O'Neill
Comments: 1
Kudos: 54





	Chances

**Author's Note:**

> AUTHOR: Matt, July 2004  
> SUMMARY: When you’re summoned to Washington for a briefing, you have a faint hope that you might see her, but you know it’s unrealistic.  
> SEASON / SPOILERS: Future fic, vague spoilers for season 7 episodes Birthright, Chimera and Heroes Part 2.  
> RATING: PG  
> DISCLAIMER: Characters belong to MGM et al. I am merely playing with them for free.  
> THANKS: To Allie for her corrections as always.

  
Chances

# Chances

+++

Somehow, you never quite thought it would end the way it did. You always expected that the end would come either with victory – or death. You never thought about the prospect of reassignment or promotion, but that’s what happened. 

Teal’c? Yeah, you had a feeling he’d end up with that rebel chick. And let’s face it; you were bound to lose him to the free Jaffa cause sooner or later. Daniel’s return to academia? Safer for both him and Sarah. You always thought he’d maybe end up with Janet, but unfortunately, that wasn’t to be. So now both he and Sarah are trying to rebuild their lives as much as they can. At least you stay in contact. As for Carter… 

Ah, there’s the rub. In the end, the military screwed you twice over. First, by making sure she turned out to be one of the best you’ve ever had the good fortune to command, and secondly, by reassigning her back to the Pentagon to work on a real deep space radar project. You were just beginning to contemplate retiring and following her to DC when they stuck a star on each of your shoulders and made you the commanding officer of the SGC. And who are you to argue with the Joint Chiefs and the President? 

For six months you’ve sat behind a desk. You’ve watched teams go through the Stargate and it didn’t take long to understand how Hammond must have felt each time a team left Earth. You’ve tried not to take it personally when good men don’t return, but it’s hard. There are few familiar faces now – so many friends have left this facility. You’re surrounded by paperwork, you’re pulled in so many different directions, and tact and diplomacy have never been your strong points. You miss your team - miss how they supported you, helped you make the right decisions. 

At times, you let yourself admit quietly that you miss her smile and her technobabble. At first, the two of you tried to keep in touch, but it soon became too difficult. You work on two different projects, with two different levels of security clearance. And because both of you are such workaholics there’s not much else to discuss. You drift apart, which is a complete shame – because you’re no longer in the same chain of command and you’re allowed to think of her far more than you ever could before. 

When you’re summoned to Washington for a briefing, you have a faint hope that you might see her, but you know it’s unrealistic. The Pentagon is itself a city. You contemplate maybe looking her up in a phone directory, but you’re not sure if you’ll have time. Meetings like these are always long and tedious. To be quite honest, you don’t really want to go, but you don’t have much of a choice. 

So it’s somewhat of a surprise to see her familiar face coming towards you in one of the Pentagon corridors. She looks like she’s on her way somewhere; certainly she’s out for no idle stroll. But your heart has leaped into your throat and you know that you can’t let her pass you by without saying something. 

“Carter?” 

She looks up from the file she’s been reading. “Sir?” she says in amazement, one of her bright smiles gracing her face. Then she glances at your shoulders. To your dismay, the smile disappears and she straightens up, snapping the file shut. “General O’Neill, Sir,” she says crisply, saluting. 

You can’t help but grimace even though you half-heartedly return the salute. “Cut the crap, Carter. Just because they stuck a couple of stars on my shoulder, doesn’t mean I’m not the same old guy you knew back in Colorado.” You stick your hands in your pockets as though they were your old and comfortable BDUs, and pray she’ll take the hint. 

Thankfully, her posture relaxes and the smile returns to her face. “Of course, Sir.” 

You stand awkwardly for a few moments, until at last you can think of something to say. “So, how you been?” you ask, feigning nonchalance. 

“Oh, good, Sir. Yourself?” 

“Not so bad. Same old ailments.” You gesture to your knees; the reason you got stuck behind a desk in the first place. 

“Been fishing lately?” 

You shake your head. “I’m lucky if I get the weekend off these days.” At last, you’re able to think of something to say. “Oh, hey, saw Jacob the other day.” 

She nods. “I got a phone call from him.” 

“I think he misses you not being around when he comes to visit.” You miss her not being around as well. 

“It’s difficult,” she shrugs. “If I could get the time off to see him, he’d have probably been recalled by the time I got there.” 

“Yeah, he couldn’t stay very long.” 

You take a look around, at the people hurrying by you. “This place treating you good?” 

“Yes, Sir.” 

“Busy?” 

She grins. “Always.” Her mouth straightens out again and she looks awkward. “Actually, Sir, I have a meeting I need to be at right now.” 

A glance at your watch indicates you have precisely three minutes to get to your own briefing. “Yeah, same here.” 

“It was good to see you again.” 

“Yeah, take care of yourself, okay?” 

“And you, Sir.” 

You watch as she continues down the corridor, and that’s when it hits you. You have to take this moment – it might never come again. 

“Carter!” you call, not caring at the scene you might be creating. 

She spins around and looks at him. “What?” 

“Dinner tonight?” 

“Sounds good, Sir.” 

And then she’s gone and you realize you now have two minutes to get to that all important briefing, and you have absolutely no clue how to contact her to arrange this dinner you’ve hastily invited her to. But you’ve always been resourceful. 

At the first break in proceedings, you dive into the nearest office and scare the wits out of the young female lieutenant sitting behind the desk. She responds quickly to your questions – quite possibly because of those stars on your shoulders – and you soon have the phone extension you need. 

You wait for the internal voicemail system to go through its motions then speak quickly, knowing you’ve got a room full of two and three stars waiting for you. “Carter, it’s me. I’m staying at the Regency. Come over at nineteen hundred hours. And you’re choosing the venue because I have no idea where anything is in this town.” 

And then you return to your briefing, feeling more like yourself for the first time since your team went its different ways. There may be hope for you yet. 

FINIS 

[Gate home](https://www.angelfire.com/trek/matteabrit/SJ/index.html)


End file.
